Rev the engine.
A burning passion for motorcycles, married to technological know-how; that was the inspiration for Mark Roebke and Justin Bradshaw to develop the motorcycling app REVER. At its core, it enables—among many features—motorcyclists to record their rides and share them with like-minded souls. The two founders from Colorado, USA, talk about their ambitions and goals.
You have just returned from a motorcycling trip in New Zealand. How was it?
Mark Roebke: It was great fun. We took part in a five-day adventure rally and covered around 300 kilometres each day. Sometimes the roads were asphalt, some were gravel tracks, or singletrack trails. We taught the participants how to navigate with the REVER app.
Biking with the REVER App – how does it work?
Justin Bradshaw: Track, Share, Discover, Navigate, and being a part of a community, these are the app's primary functions. You can use the app to record your rides and share them with friends or members of the community so that they can navigate them, too. The app is intended to inspire riders to discover new routes and destinations. Linking up with friends and communities opens up a lot of new options.
REVER sounds like a made-up word.
Mark Roebke is the Chief Technology Officer/CEO of REVER. He always has his smartphone in his pocket and records every ride.
REVER sounds like a made-up word.
JB: It is in fact a real word; in French it can be roughly translated to mean dream and evolve. We like it because it sounds good. Of course, we don't pronounce it with a french accent. It makes us think of revving an engine.
You grew up in a family of bikers. How was it?
Colorado is a paradise for motorcyclists and offers Justin Bradshaw, President of REVER, a huge network of roads and trails.
You grew up in a family of bikers. How was it?
JB: My father, brother, uncle, and my kids—everyone rides motorcycles. It brings us together. We’ve explored parts of our country and the world that we would never have seen otherwise. I rode my motorcycle to school when I was just 15 years old, without a license. Strictly speaking, I had a learner's permit, and my parents let me ride alone.
Justin Bradshaw
As a technology startup you don’t mind taking risks?
MR: We have the experience and knowledge necessary to deliver. The risk is worth it. I am a tech guy through and through. After college, I worked at Microsoft and saw how big companies think and work. All of this experience I use for REVER. Justin and I have two completely different backgrounds, but we complement each other. And BMW Motorrad trusts us.
You have been collaborating with BMW Motorrad since 2016.
MR: The collaboration was triggered by the forward thinking of the employees at BMW Motorrad. We are proud that such a dynamic and successful brand approached us. We had previously been lacking a visionary partner from within the industry with whom we were able to share our passions, ideas, and experiences. It's great that BMW Motorrad sought us out as a startup and is so open to our ideas.
JB: As it turns out, there is a great deal of overlap between BMW and ourselves; we are all propelling the idea of community forward. The community deserves and needs a shared space for interaction, in order to unite and inspire itself. We will drive forward innovative technologies and ensure that the motorcycling experience as a whole will become accessible to even more people.
On the road again: Justin and Mark aren't the only ones using the app; hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists from over 130 countries have downloaded REVER.
Where did the idea for this app come from?
JB: In the past, I made paper maps for motorcyclists. We received requests from customers to produce a digital format. This turned out to be a much bigger deal, because we saw the potential in creating an app for the motorcycling community. Similar formats were already available for hikers, cyclists, and skiers. But there was nothing like that for motorcyclists. We sensed the opportunity and developed an app that incorporated all the key functions from the motorcyclists’ perspective.
MR: We incorporated our own experiences as motorcyclists in the app’s functionality. We know which way the wind blows and ride our bikes almost every day. In Colorado, there are so many cool roads. The region is swarming with asphalt mountain passes, dirt roads, and singletrack trails.
Always on the throttle: Mark and Justin use it on every ride.
Mark Roebke
What role does the digital motorcycle play?
MR: We are collaborating with suppliers in the motorcycle industry on this topic. It will be our challenge and task to design the user interface and connect the various elements into one hub. The goal is for the user to be able to interact with the high-tech vehicle using a single application, instead of operating with four or five different apps.
Is there a life without handlebars?
MR: Everything I have anything to do with needs handlebars: motorcycles, bicycles and snowmobiles. There’s not much in my life that doesn't have handlebars. This is how I like it. Business becomes much more pleasant and productive if you have passion for what you do.
JB: Motorcycles are my life. They are part of my job and my passion. There is so much connecting me to this subject: places, perspectives, and people.
Joy is easily found in the high mountains of the Colorado Rockies.
